The Christmas box office cheer is still going strong, and for the second weekend in a row, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash remains firmly in the driver’s seat. While several new holiday releases entered the race, none managed to knock Pandora off the top spot as audiences continued to flock to theatres on Friday.
Avatar Stays on Top
Disney’s third Avatar film collected $22.6 million domestically on Friday, marking a roughly 39% drop from its opening day — a steady hold for a big-budget holiday tentpole. Since Christmas Day, the film has earned $46.6 million in North America.
Trade estimates suggest Fire and Ash is heading toward a $75–80 million domestic haul by Sunday, with its North American total expected to hit $176 million by the end of the week. The numbers underline Cameron’s continued box office dominance during the holiday corridor.
Marty Supreme Builds Momentum
A24’s Marty Supreme claimed second place on Friday with $6.73 million from 2,668 locations. Starring Timothée Chalamet and directed by Josh Safdie, the film has now earned $16.2 million since Christmas and is projected to cross $30 million by Sunday.
The film’s rise has been fuelled by strong word-of-mouth and a buzzy promotional run. Notably, Marty Supreme had already made waves last week with a standout limited release performance, delivering one of the best per-screen averages of the year before expanding nationwide.
Zootopia 2 Gets a Holiday Boost
Disney’s Zootopia 2 jumped to third place on Friday, earning $6.7 million, up from its No. 5 position last week. With schools out for winter break, the animated sequel is benefitting from family audiences returning in large numbers.
The film is expected to add around $20 million by Sunday, pushing its domestic total to roughly $308 million by the end of the week — an impressive run for a release that debuted a month ago.
Anaconda and The Housemaid Hold Strong
Sony’s adventure comedy Anaconda, starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black, took fourth place with $5.4 million on Friday. After earning $9.1 million on Christmas Day, the film is projected to finish the weekend at around $22 million domestically.
Rounding out the top five is The Housemaid, the psychological thriller led by Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried. The film pulled in $5.2 million on Friday, improving on its Christmas Day numbers. It’s now expected to reach a $45 million domestic total by Sunday.
Final Words
This year’s Christmas box office has turned into a crowded but healthy race, with blockbusters, originals, family films, and genre titles all finding space. While Avatar: Fire and Ash continues to dominate at the top, strong holds by Marty Supreme and Zootopia 2 suggest audiences are spreading their holiday spending across a wide range of films — a welcome sign for theatres heading into the New Year.
